Innovation Management – from Strategy to IT Implementation

Initial Situation and Targets

As a global provider of high-efficiency pumps, constant innovation is vital to Wilo’s survival in fighting for market share and customers. It is important to stay one step ahead of the competition through new innovations. A key success factor is therefore the powerful, target-oriented and effective conversion of ideas into successful products. Wilo’s objective was to develop the innovation process to enable innovative ideas to be identified and implemented in a targeted fashion at a significantly greater frequency. UNITY and Wilo therefore worked together to design and implement a tailor-made innovation program.

Tasks of UNITY

UNITY supported the development of a globally applicable innovation management. Specific tasks included:

• Organizing an innovation audit to identify fields of action for Wilo
• Developing an innovation process specifically oriented to Wilo’s needs
• Idea workshops involving suppliers and customers to fill the innovation pipeline
• Organizing a forecast project to strategically orient innovation activities
• Preparing a 2025 innovation strategy taking into consideration the specifications of the group strategy
• Specifying and selecting software to map out the innovation process defined

The Benefits for Wilo SE

The program provided Wilo a unique understanding of innovation management and clearly marked out its distinction from the Continual Improvement Process (CIP). Wilo’s staff is now able to present innovative ideas and have them subjected to neutral assessment by experts. Focusing on topics essential to Wilo enables customers, suppliers and employees to be specifically activated and involved in the innovation process. In doing so, the innovation strategy provides safeguards for Wilo’s innovation management to enable the monetary innovation goals set to be achieved.